Scan barcode
bibrarian_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Kidnapping
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Finished reading: July 27th 2024
“It takes a lot to kill someone. Human beings in crisis cannot think straight; their instinct to preserve life gets sidelined in the sea of their desperation. In the absence of a psychological disorder or crisis or the impairment to rational thinking brought about by drugs or alcohol, it is very hard to kill another living, breathing member of the human race.”
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Steve Cavanagh's writing, and I've been waiting impatiently for his newest book to be finally published outside the UK. I loved the sound of the premise of Kill For You, Kill For Me, although I confess I added it to my wishlist even before I learned what it was going to be about... His writing hasn't disappointed me yet, and Kill For Me, Kill For You turned out to be another absolutely fantastic and deviously clever read. This is one of those books where it's best to go in blind in order to feel the full impact of the plot twists... Trust me, you will most likely be picking up your jaw from the floor more than once before reaching that final page. His writing is always engaging, and I was already enjoying the ride from the beginning... But once the first major plot twist bomb dropped, I started to see just how clever and intricate this plot was. My mind is still in awe of what I have just read, and I have no doubt that this book will appear on my list of 2024 favorites. I particularly loved the Strangers On A Train vibe; not a copy of the classic, but rather an ingenious adaptation that will mislead you more than once. The story uses a multiple POV structure, which was perfect for the plot and helped creating maximum impact for certain twists. If you like your thrillers on the dark, twisted and engaging side, I can highly recommend Kill For Me, Kill For You!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
amirahazhar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
4.0
What a ride! So many twists and turns, I was completely enthralled. At times, some parts of the plot didn't seem realistic but still addictive regardless. This is my first Cavanagh book and he's a fantastic writer so I'm excited to read his other work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
tanukino's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The only thing I was satisfied reading about was the criticism of law in a capitalist world. I also admit that while the first plot twist was super predictable, I wasn't expecting the second or third. So that was fun to read!
I also appreciated this sort of slipppery slope approach to trauma and PTSD. There's a lot to be said about the lack of real support for people who have experienced trauma.
Overall, too many silly coincidences and too little research on how NYC actually is kind of took me out of it. That being said, I zipped through it pretty quickly, and it was certainly fast-paced and engaging. The ending was very unsatisfactory to me personally, but what can you do?
I also appreciated this sort of slipppery slope approach to trauma and PTSD. There's a lot to be said about the lack of real support for people who have experienced trauma.
Overall, too many silly coincidences and too little research on how NYC actually is kind of took me out of it. That being said, I zipped through it pretty quickly, and it was certainly fast-paced and engaging. The ending was very unsatisfactory to me personally, but what can you do?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
sarahgl's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Murder
jordynjohnson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So I really did like this book. It was super twisty and I didn’t really predict many of the twists (especially Billy being Ruth’s attacker) but there were some parts of the plot that didn’t really make sense to me and seemed a little unrealistic and at times it did get a little confusing. Probably the most unrealistic thing was Billy getting his contacts in and out so easily 🙈 Overall though it was a really good thriller!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness
jrosebartoli415's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
noelliem's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Murder
hey_abijo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Women reeling from severe loss and trauma take us along for the ride on their hunt for vengeance. The story is based on this premise: two women, connected only by their shared suffering and constant grief, agree to swap murders— but their plans go haywire. Multiple engaging POVs, some clichès and predictability, moderate suspense, and many plot twists. Author Steve Cavanagh knows how to write suspense and mystery, but his skills are less aptly applied in matters of artful detail, emotion, sensitivity, and tact.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Grief, Stalking, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood and Alcohol
honey_coated_chapters's review against another edition
5.0
°:. *₊ ° . ° .•
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4/5
𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 352
𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: mystery/crime
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆: revenge plots served extra hot and loose ends.
———————————————————————
This hooked me in from the first chapter. There’s alternating POVs per chapter (3-4 POVs in total) and each one ended on a cliffhanger that just had me at the edge of my seat. The twists and connections are honestly riveting, this author may be up there with Alice Feeney for best twists. But, I also didn’t totally mind it because the story was still put together neatly. The “swapping murders” premise was such a thrilling concept, I know it’s not entirely original but the execution was near perfect. The way our characters describe their thought process along with their motives, it honestly hard to put down. I liked the detail that went in to each of their chapters, it’s not totally gory but there is descriptions of crime scenes that provide just enough information to give you some chills but not too much to where you’re turned off entirely. There’s a crime aspect that I appreciated while we were able to see how another character (detective) makes his connections. I will say that I had to suspend my belief just a little bit — some parts are over the top, I didn’t mind but it’s worth mentioning if you like your thrillers true to life. Aside from that, 4 stars is just for my own selfishness because we don’t get answers! We don’t know why certain ~things~ happened.
🧸
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 4/5
𝑵𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒔: 352
𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: mystery/crime
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆: revenge plots served extra hot and loose ends.
———————————————————————
This hooked me in from the first chapter. There’s alternating POVs per chapter (3-4 POVs in total) and each one ended on a cliffhanger that just had me at the edge of my seat. The twists and connections are honestly riveting, this author may be up there with Alice Feeney for best twists. But, I also didn’t totally mind it because the story was still put together neatly. The “swapping murders” premise was such a thrilling concept, I know it’s not entirely original but the execution was near perfect. The way our characters describe their thought process along with their motives, it honestly hard to put down. I liked the detail that went in to each of their chapters, it’s not totally gory but there is descriptions of crime scenes that provide just enough information to give you some chills but not too much to where you’re turned off entirely. There’s a crime aspect that I appreciated while we were able to see how another character (detective) makes his connections. I will say that I had to suspend my belief just a little bit — some parts are over the top, I didn’t mind but it’s worth mentioning if you like your thrillers true to life. Aside from that, 4 stars is just for my own selfishness because we don’t get answers! We don’t know why certain ~things~ happened.
🧸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis